Police target drunk drivers in summer enforcement campaign

Those who continue to hop back in their vehicles after a long evening of beer pong may want to think twice this summer – police across B.C. will be targeting impaired drivers at random road checks as part of the latest CounterAttack campaign.

Launched July 1, the campaign began as a collaborative effort between the provincial government, ICBC and police to help take impaired drivers off the roads.

During the summer months, one person is killed every three days in impaired-related crashes in B.C. On Vancouver Island, an average of six people are killed in impaired-related crashes during the summer months every year, according to Sooke RCMP.

Attorney General Suzanne Anton pointed out that CounterAttack is just a reminder not only for drivers to take responsibility, but that police are out there — and watching.

“Some people still aren’t taking the issue seriously,” she said. “That’s why we’ll continue to support enhanced enforcement to intercept those who put other road users in danger.”

So far this year,, there have been two people charged with impaired driving in Sooke. Twenty-six were detained or had their driver’s licences suspended for several days.

Regardless of the excuse, or whether or not a driver is caught, it still doesn’t change the possible outcome of impaired driving, which, in many cases, can be permanently life-changing, said Neil Dubord, chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety committee.